"The Four Peaks"

Hiking buddy: Marina

Weather: high 60s, foggy

Mountains: Bald Peak, Parkman, Gilmore and Sargent (Acadia National Park)
Elevations: 974ft (Bald), 941ft (Parkman), 1,036ft (Gilmore), and 1,373ft (Sargent)
Ascents: Maple Spring, Bald Peak Trail, Parkman Mountain Trail, Grandgent Trail, Maple Spring Trail, Sargent South Ridge Trail
Descents: Bald Peak Trail, Parkman Mountain Trail, Gradgent Trail, Sargent South Ridge Trail, Hadlock Brook Trail, Maple Spring
Miles of trail: 5.4

Total miles this year: 83.4

Guess what? Marina is back from Indiaaaaa. Woot! Woot! And, randomly, the boss gave me a weekday off. That doesn't happen often... So, I ran with it. Or, shall we say, hike? Out of a forecast for the week full of sunshine and warmer temps, Wednesday was looking pretty grim in comparison; rain showers. 

Since Marina is only home for a couple weeks, I gave her the honor of picking the peak to hike. She suggested Sargent, so I suggested we do what I call "The Four Peaks". That would be Bald Peak, Parkman Mountain, Gilmore Mountain, and Sargent Mountain. Four peaks plopped in a little grouping on the way into Northeast Harbor. 

This can be a strenuous hike, but it is a must do in Acadia. 

We parked in the Norumbega Mountain pull-off, crossed the street, and started in on Maple Spring for about 0.2 miles. Just before the carriage road, there will be a trailhead on the left for the Bald Peak Trail. This trail follows a little stream before reaching another carriage trail. At this point, you're above tree line and can catch your first glimpse of the surrounding landscape and waters. 

Well, we couldn't really see through the fog!

There's a pond over there somewhere, I swear. 

Marina shared stories from her trip to India. Travel stories make excellent trail conversation. I love hearing about all of her adventures!

We finally made it to the summit of Bald Peak... I know there is a summit marker up there somewhere...

From here, it's only 0.3 miles to the next summit; Parkman Mountain. Piece of cake. The trail heads down a few hundred feet, quite abruptly, and then quickly gains elevation back to 941 feet. The fog was still rolling in. 

After the slight scramble of about 0.2 miles, you are at the Parkman summit. Again, not much of a view today...

Now, this is where the trail gets super fun... it's time to get back into the forest full of vibrant moss, fiddlehead ferns, wild flowers and spider webs!

From the summit of Parkman to the summit of Gilmore, the trail covers about half a mile. Another loss and gain of around 300 feet in elevation. Not too shabby! A quick snapshot at the summit of Gilmore, and then we continued on our way toward Sargent.

The fog just wasn't going anywhere. 

Here come the fiddlehead ferns!

The trail looks a liiiiittle wet, no? It was a very muddy adventure. Eventually, the trail comes to an end, and there are two options for getting to the summit of Sargent. The quickest, hardest option would be to take the Grandgent Trail. It's a bit of a lung buster. The second option takes a little bit longer, but is also easier; Maple Springs Trail. I had actually never taken the Maple Springs Trail up to the summit before, so we went with that route for this adventure. After all the rain we had had, the trail was certainly living up to its name...

Not too far up the trail we ran into this little guy...

We totally weren't sure if it was real or not. Seriously, I made Marina poke him with a stick! I mean, she did it gently and in the nicest way possible. Sure enough, this guy was alive and real. Onward...

Marina is terrified of ticks... Today's hike was full of narrow, bushy trails; not her favorite kind.

Which way to go? Ha...

Once we had reached the summit, the fog had decided to roll on out and the sky opened up to a beautiful sunshiny day!

To head down back to the car, we took the South Ridge Trail down to the Hadlock Brook Trail, back to Maple Spring and to the main road. Phew! 

Hiking down the South Ridge, you can see the summit of Cedar Swamp in the near distance. I don't think I had ever noticed that peak before. Although, I didn't know Cedar Swamp existed until last year! Whoops. Apparently there is an old plane wreck somewhere over there. Must bushwhack and see!

Snapshots from the Hadlock Brook Trail...

The trail crosses the stream numerous times, which after all the rain was gushing water and roaring up a storm. Thankfully, neither Marina or I fell in. The stream eventually leads to a stunning waterfall with a carriage road bridge just beyond, conveniently called "Waterfall Bridge." 

Standing on Waterfall Bridge

A little under a mile left to go at this point, and you're back to the parking area. What a beautiful day it was to be out in the woods. Heavy rainfall always adds a nice touch to the soundtrack of nature on a hike like this one. I love hearing the rushing water.